Who Saw This Coming?……Everyone

ORLANDO, Fla. -U.S. Soccer’s membership elected Carlos Cordeiro as U.S. Soccer’s 32nd President during the National Council Meeting at the Federation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) this morning at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld. Cordeiro, who won on the third ballot, replaces outgoing President Sunil Gulati and will serve a four-year term.

“Thank you to those of you who have supported me today,” Cordeiro said from the podium. “This is incredibly humbling. I want to thank all the candidates for a stirring campaign. I’d like to thank Sunil and our board for their tireless service. To those of you who didn’t vote for me, I’m going to work to earn your support and trust over the next four years. I promise I will work for all of you to bring us together as one soccer community. Thank you very much.”

Cordeiro was victorious in the first contested U.S. Soccer presidential election since 1998, winning the majority vote in an eight-candidate field which also featured Paul Caligiuri, Kathy Carter, Steve Gans, Kyle Martino, Hope Solo, Michael Winograd and Eric Wynalda.

A life-long soccer fan, Cordeiro becomes President after serving in various roles with U.S. Soccer since being appointed as the Federation’s first Independent Director in 2007. As Vice President since 2016, he worked to reform Board governance with a focus on greater transparency and accountability. He has also previously served as Treasurer, Chair of the Budget Committee, and Director of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. In addition, he represents U.S. Soccer on the CONCACAF Council and FIFA’s Stakeholders Committee.

A business executive with more than 30 years of experience in international finance, he became a partner at Goldman Sachs in the early 1990s and was later appointed Vice Chairman-Asia. He advised governments such as Nelson Mandela’s post-apartheid South Africa, global corporations, and financial institutions including the World Bank. Now retired, he continues to serve as an honorary unpaid advisor to the firm.

From 2005 to 2015, he also served as an independent director of BHP Billiton, the world’s largest natural resources company, where he focused on governance, finance and risk management.

Born to a Colombian mother and a Portuguese father in 1956, Cordeiro immigrated to the United States from India with his widowed mother and three siblings at the age of 15. He became an American citizen 10 years later. He is a graduate of Miami Beach High School, Harvard College and Harvard Business School. A dedicated philanthropist, he has supported nonprofit causes that reflect his commitment to education and healthcare and has held director-level positions at several charitable foundations.

In other news from the National Council Meeting, Lisa Carnoy was confirmed as an Independent Director.

The AGM concludes with Saturday night’s Anniversary Dinner (7 p.m. ET, ussoccer.com, Facebook and YouTube) where former Women’s National Team goalkeeper Brianna Scurry and former player, coach and referee Dr. Joe Machnik will be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Additionally, former Women’s National Team head coach Tony DiCicco will posthumously be honored as U.S. Soccer’s 2018 Werner Fricker Award winner, while long-time soccer media professional Jim Trecker will be presented with the Colin Jose Media Award.

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About Ron Dawson

Founder, All Access Soccer Network. Currently owns and manages multiple regional soccer media websites and social media pages. In addition to this, Ron covers MLS Soccer for multiple outlets and is involved in tournament and player showcases.